Exciting careers for physicists

Now, I've still got a couple of years to go before I graduate but I have started thinking about my future. I enjoy physics, I really do. I know most people over here probably do too. The point is that while I enjoy working on experiments in a lab or doing theoretical work, I don't want my whole life to be just that. I want some excitement (and I don't mean the excitement of a new physics discovery) in my life while still mainting connections to physics. Exciting as in the sort of excitment a fighter pilot or a surgeon or a storm chaser experiences on a regular basis!

I can't think of many career options that involve physics related work and are still exciting. The only one that popped into my head was astronaut. That's the sort of thing I want; a thrill in my job. So, am I expecting too much by wanting to have my cake and eat it too or are there more physics based career options that involve that thrill factor that I want?

When I was in graduate school we had people come in recruiting for a company that contracted out the the department of national defence (Canadian) and their jobs sounded pretty neat. At the time I think one of their big projects was landmine detection, but it sounded like they got to do all sorts of cool stuff like accident reconstruction and special investigations, designing body armour, etc.

There was a time where I came pretty close to quitting physics to become a police officer. I figured with an MSc in physics (my highest degree at the time) I would have been able to quickly advance from a beat cop into homicide or some other investigation unit. This, of course, depends on a lot of other factors beyond education though.

If you don't get a job that has the thrill you're looking for, you can always find that through volunteer work. You could consider being a volunteer fire fighter, or an auxiliary constable, or EMT, or joining the armed forces reserves, or coast guard, or search and rescue.